Friends of Chitambo SCIO: registered charity number SCO44337
Our primary aims are to support health projects, including the hospital, ambulance and nurse training school. However, we also hope to be able to provide some support to other community oranisations such as the orphanage, schools, and the church, where possible.

Saturday, 4 February 2017

Belated Happy New Year

A very belated Happy New Year!

We have been off to a flying start and January is just a blur!

Here are some updates:

Our thoughts remain very much with our Honorary President, Janet, who is gravely ill but comfortable in a community hospital near Edinburgh, Scotland. She is receiving excellent care, remains very alert, and continues to reminisce about her nursing days at Chitambo.

Chitambo Hospital has a new doctor, from the Democratic Republic of Congo

3 new Scottish volunteers are seeking to join FoCh, 2 with high-powered health service backgrounds and 1 with extensive experience of fundraising, catering,events managment, and volunteering in Botswana. They will be very welcome and some Trustees look forward to meeting them on Saturday 11th March

Consider has purchased solar lights, in Lusaka, with Ba Chola's kind donation. These are for Mpelembe remote and rural health clinic where people were delivering babies by the light of mobile phones. Hopefully the solar lights will be delivered to Levi when he attends the Zambia UK Health Workforce (ZUKHWA) meeting in Lusaka on 22nd February.

Levi and Consider have been invited to attend the ZUKHWA meeting, which is organised by members of the University of Edinburgh Global Health Academy. They will be great FoCh representatives there.

They will also be meeting Mr. Ian Nicol, Scottish Government Small Grant Manager, on his visit to Zambia (5th to 9th February). Mr. Nicol will not have time to reach Chitambo but will meet Consider in Lusaka and Levi in Kabwe, as part of Scottish Government's newly launched Scotland Zambia Programme.

Jo's talk to the Penicuik University of the 3rd Age (U3A), on Thursday 19th January, went down well. The theme was Livingstone's Hospital, the Story of Chitambo. There was a packed hall and all enjoyed learning a little chiBemba and other audience participation. We received very kind donations which will contribute to new emergency radios for the 'hard to reach' clinics in Chitambo District.

FoCh Patron, Julie Davidson, attended the U3A talk and gave a short account her book, 'Looking for Mrs. Livingstone', about David Livingstone's wife, Mary. Julie will give a fuller talk on this, to Penicuik U3A, at a later date.

Jo will give a second talk to the Bilston Women's Guild on Tuesday 7th February. Apparently there is some historical connection between Bilston Parish Church and Chitambo. Jo will find out more and report back after the event.